Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-12-20
WICHITA THE FOCAL GEM OF THE
DIADEM
Whose Figures Say "No"-They Lie.

To the Editor of the Eagle:
Much has been said and written from
almost every standpoint about the adj
vantages of Wichita, pro and con.
When the city first began to forge ahead
of its sisters Immediately near her, an
argument was used by the advocates OF
those thrifty places that, while Wichita
was in reality a good town OF very good
county, she did not enjoy one single adj
vantage over Newton, Hutchinson,
Kingman. Wellington, Winfield or III
Dorado. which few years of the inevita-
bic development of the smaller Of these
towns might not equal. So far as he
material and tangible side of the subject
is concerned, this sophistlcal argument
had such an appearance of truth that
thousands of people who were attracted
to Wichita during the past years. have
upon a superficial investigation, invested
and settled in these towns. In this way,
this city through its various influences,
has contributed more to develop its sup
posed rivals than they ever could have
done individually. They We're the
beneficiaries of the attracted and repealed
clements of a much larger body
in fact. and thus, with due
respect to them. they assume in the
natural order the position of satellites
instead of equals and rivals. The fore
going facts we have all witnessed within
the past few years. Yet Wichita has
continued to grow till she Is ahead IN
population of the largest of the above
named towns at least $4,000 souls. OF
the metaphysical side Of this question
we can only point TO results. Why did
each one of the tens of thousands of in
diyiduals contribute his share to the
general result of building up Wichita
either settling in 1t or sister town:
That is the unanSwerable question.
Each of the more intelligent portion of
our people will point with pride TO
his individual actions and to the
branch of trade or profession through
which he has acted as prime If not the
principal factor i'll the grand work. This
is the egoism that asserts itself IN all
active communities. 1t Is not only par
donable but legitimate. But such claims
to individual power are only true IN a
very local sense Generally they are
lost sight of in the aggregation of results
as an individual brick Is in the wall OF
large structure. Philosophers for ages
have had the idea of the inevitable III
their minds when contemplating grand
aggregation of natural results. 1T IS
the unexpected which happens was not
original with Tallyrand. and the stone
thai was rejected is become the key 10
the arch was many times exemplified
before the gentle Nazarine declared il III
Judea.
The foregoing argument. though brief
nav serve with the intelligent reader 70
illustrate the often proved facts of his
tory that no legitimate city can De butt
by any human power on an iliegitimate
site that VIII stand longer than the life
of its special creator lasts. Asia, Africa
and Europe are filed with the ruins Of
cities built and forcibly sustained by
hunlau dtsSyots. AMI America contains
MANY lif.less siteSsoi towns that were
cliristenea 10 great fame by the exef-
fiors of railroads and Steamboat lines
Frequently these paper cities. where lies
buried the fortunes ol nsany once hope-
full but haplsss sp~culators. exist IN ihe
very shadows of cItas-s that legsiiulsteiy
sorang up III the wrong place.
when nolsodv expected them The same
argument. and cur local history further
illustrates that it Is possible for infcili-
gent human action TO he Systematically
engaged on a large scale N tearing down
n. fortunes Of particular city when